BATTLE BEGINS
Makeshift Yanks cling to lead despite injuries
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That blow was just one of many, and Chavez said it has made their task more challenging.
“What we’ve been doing the whole year is putting band aids on things, right from the beginning,” Chavez said. “We’ve done a great job, but it’s not easy replacing some of these guys. Sometimes I look and say, ‘ How are we doing it?’”
If all goes as planned, the Yankees won’t have to ask as many questions in September. Rodriguez could return as soon as next week.
“Obviously, this is going to be the biggest month of the year, so we need these guys back,” Chavez said. “If that happens, it would give us the biggest boost and we’d get some momentum.”
Something they haven’t had in a while.
“Look at our lineup [Tuesday, with Steve Pearce batting cleanup and Russell Martin fifth],” Chavez said. “Who would have imagined us putting up that lineup a couple of months ago? And we’re still in first place.”
Despite their issues, the Yankees have been by themselves on top of the division every day since June 12. That won’t matter much if they let the rest of their lead disappear — regardless of who’s on the field.
“Everybody talks about me and [Jayson] Nix doing a great job, but what made that special was we didn’t need it,” Chavez said. “We got our production from the middle of the order. Everything else was just extra. When you start taking away those pieces, what we were doing goes from icing on the cake to a necessity. It definitely makes things even tougher.”
Chavez, though, said he is able to see light at the end of the tunnel.
“You can look at it as we’re holding our head above water, but if we can do it for another two weeks here, it could be really good,” Chavez said. “We’ll be that much stronger and healthier when it matters most.”